Tuesday, February 17, 2009

President Barack Obama will be in the Phoenix area this week and a Chicago sports franchise has taken notice. Did the Bulls ask him to put in a good word to help get Amare to Chicago? Do the Cubs want him to hit in the leadoff spot? Come on now, we know this is going to be about those creepy Obama-stalking White Sox, who invited Obama to check out their new training facility. Hard to pass that up!

I get that Obama is a White Sox fan and that's fine; cool for the White Sox even. However, the Sox are starting to look like the girlfriend of the NBA star that just got into the league. She doesn't realize her man is busy now, and frankly isn't paying as much attention. I'm not saying Obama doesn't care about the White Sox anymore, that's his team, just quit inviting him everywhere.

First it was to come and throw out the first pitch on opening day. That's a great idea, but it seems like every couple of weeks I'm reading that the offer still stands. You don't say? Don't stop reminding. Now they want him to tour the new training facility. Unless Ozzie is interrogating suspected terrorists there, it's hard to imagine any interest.

A rant against the White Sox here might be a little premature, but with four or five announcements since the election, it might be time to scale back on the public invitations. It's nice to show him you're still interested, but left unchecked this ends with Kenny Williams calling the White House switchboard and hanging up before making a scene on a public tour.

**Update: Now the Cubs are getting in on the act. Seriously Chicago teams, enough President stalking, he doesn't want to visit your shitty winter homes!

"You go to Wrigley Field, you have a beer, beautiful people up there,'' Obama said, according to ESPN transcripts. "People aren't watching the game. It's not serious. White Sox, that's baseball."Barack Obama aka The First Fan!

The reason i use a term like "jealous" is because as a die-hard Sox fan, I actually love these public invitations, and will never get sick of them or think they're "stalkerish". And I know many other Sox fans who feel the same way. Other non-sox fans probably feel differently (they're jealous).

And it seems as if Barack is actually a proactive White Sox/Chicago fan, being that he wears his Sox hat whenever he goes outside and makes statements about how big of a Sox fan he is. Maybe the President Obama won't be able to make it to AJ's birthday party, but I wouldn't be surprised if he gave AJ a birthday phone call or video message!

That's like saying because I wish Hawk Harrelson would lose the gift of speech, I'm jealous of him and the White Sox, even though he is widely regarded as a terrible announcer. You love him (maybe) because you're a Sox fan, I don't; but it isn't because I'm jealous. It's because listening to him as a non-Sox fan is excruciating.

So is it because I'm jealous, or because you're a Sox fan? I think I'd still be annoyed if I was a Yankees or Dodgers fan.

As with regards to your "widely regarded as a terrible announcer" comment, during his time as White Sox announcer Hawk Harrelson has won five Emmy Awards and two Illinois Sportscaster of the Year awards. Hawk was a nominee for the 2007 Ford Frick Award, presented annually since 1978 for major contributions to baseball broadcasting ... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ken_Harrelson#cite_note-awards-2

So yeah clearly he must be "widely regarded as a terrible announcer" by White Sox rival's fans like yourself, but clearly Hawk has impressed others and received multiple for awards for his original broadcasting style.It's probably because you don't have your own "homer" announcer who coins amazing phrases like "You can put it on the board...HEYESS" or "He Gone" or "Mercy!" or "JOE CREDEEEE" that YOU are jealous and can't appreciate Hawk as a great announcer.

Dude, Hawk is the worst announcer of all time. The only thing worse than Hawk the announcer was Hawk the GM. You can't expect anyone to take you seriously when you are standing on Hawk as a good announcer as one of your arguments. He is flat out bad.

You obviously didn't read Hawks wikipage very carefully, as the first paragraph says:"Kenneth Smith Harrelson (born September 4, 1941 in Woodruff, South Carolina), nicknamed "The Hawk" due to his distinctive profile, is a former first baseman and outfielder in Major League Baseball who currently serves as a television broadcast announcer for the Chicago White Sox. He is widely regarded as one of the worst announcers in the history of baseball."

Haters... What I would have given to have Hawk calling the 05 World Series game.

I will give you guys this- DJ did not complement Hawk well at all. He tried to be a homer like Hawk and failed miserably. I personally couldn't stand listening to him, and he was bringing Hawk down with him. With Stoney in the broadcast booth, I believe you'll find our broadcasts much more "opposing fan friendly."

So I hear the Cubs extended an invitation to the First Fan to come check out their Spring Training. I guess they are feeling a little left out that for once in a 100 years the White Sox are getting some press.Why they would go ahead an invite him to a Spring Training practice is beyond me as well. Would the Sox invite Mr. Cub to one of their practices? I doubt it.